Report to Our Community 2011

Giving Foster Kids a Childhood and a Future in 2011

Once kids enter foster care, Treehouse provides integrated, wrap-around supports to help them succeed in school and ensure they experience as normal a childhood as possible. In 2011 we set a powerful vision: Within the next five years, students in foster care will graduate high school at the same rate as their peers, and be successfully launched into adulthood. With your support, Treehouse gives foster kids a childhood AND a future.

Helping Foster Kids Succeed in School and in Life

For Andrea, making it through her junior year of high school hasn't been easy. She is a bright and capable student, but disruptions in her home placements required that she overcome additional obstacles to maintain her grades. Fortunately, with the advocacy and support of Tammy, her Treehouse Education Engagement Coordinator, Andrea is on her way to a bright and promising future. When Tammy learned that Andrea was interested in veterinary medicine, they started researching schools, developing a long-term education plan, and exploring financial aid options. With Tammy's support, Andrea is taking all of the right steps to be one of the 2% of foster youth nation-wide to earn a college degree.

Helping Foster Kids Feel Great and Fit In

To Treehouse youth and caregivers, the Treehouse Wearhouse is more than a free retail store where they can shop for clothing, shoes, toys, books, and supplies. When Ben arrived in the U.S. after escaping rebels in the Congo, the clothing he found in the Wearhouse helped him assimilate in a foreign and unfamiliar place. After graduating from high school and starting a business course at a local community college, Tonya shopped in the Wearhouse for her first professional wardrobe. For Joyce, a foster mom to three young children, the Wearhouse was a safe haven in a time of crisis. When three siblings arrived at her house for an emergency placement, Joyce was able to make an after-hours appointment at the Wearhouse so the kids had pajamas to sleep in and clothes and supplies for school the next day.

Providing the Childhood Experiences Every Kid Deserves

When Jenna was sixteen, her mother dropped her off in Seattle and drove away — forever. After she entered foster care, Jenna was introduced to the Treehouse Little Wishes program, which covered the cost for her to take aerial silk lessons. The acrobatic activity helped Jenna reconnect with her identity and with those around her. The lessons helped her regain her confidence and feel comfortable making new friends. Already a focused young adult, she became even more determined to do well and re-engage in school. It wasn't long before her GPA had improved from a 1.4 to a 3.72.

Our Vision

As we look back on 2011, we want to express our deepest gratitude for your generous support, active involvement and meaningful partnership. We are inspired by your vote of confidence and your commitment to all that we can make possible in the lives of our most vulnerable children and youth. With your help, Treehouse was able to serve more than 5,000 foster kids in our community with programs that help them succeed in school, meet key material needs, and experience important childhood activities that every child deserves.

Treehouse is proud of its many 2011 achievements. Foremost among them is that we were able to sustain our statewide Educational Advocacy program that serves over 1,500 foster youth each year by continuing an innovative public/private funding partnership with the State of Washington, saving the program from complete elimination. Funding for the Educational Advocacy program was one of several provisions of SHB 2254, the "Educational Success for Youth and Alumni of Foster Care Act," which was written to address policy gaps that interfere with foster youth graduating high school and pursuing post-secondary education. Now signed into law, this legislation will help remove bureaucratic barriers, improve systems synchronization, and coordinate high-quality wrap-around services to promote educational success for foster youth.

2011 was also a year of organizational learning. Early last year, Treehouse committed to a comprehensive, organization-wide Discovery Process. The goal of Discovery was to explore how we could meet an ambitious goal: to ensure that students in foster care in King County graduate at the same rate as their peers within the next five years. The Discovery process included thousands of hours of evidence-based research on promising practices, a thorough analysis of our infrastructure and systems, and more than 20 panel discussions with leading child welfare and education experts from around the country. Thanks to the commitment of our partners, consultants, internal leadership and staff, we were able to immediately apply some of our learning to make positive, tangible steps toward our goal in 2011. Some highlights include:

Developing a refined and more integrated program service delivery model

Investing in new technology and software to improve internal and external communications and organizational efficiency

Identifying colleague organizations with whom we can establish formalized partnerships to achieve a stronger collective impact for our youth

Developing and executing several experimental projects to help guide and refine our five-year Strategic Plan

We are committed to a goal with inherent risks. If solutions to youth in foster care graduating at the same rate as their peers were known or easy, they would already be in implementation. We believe we are uniquely positioned to maximize the benefits and minimize the challenges of child welfare and school districts to help youth thrive. Looking forward, we know that we will need to serve three times the number of youth than current resources allow, and we will need to serve them longer and more deeply for greater impact. Ensuring that students in foster care in King County graduate at the same rate as their peers is going to take more — more funding, more volunteers, more innovation, and more collaboration. We look forward to the road ahead and know that together, we will continue to build a road to hope and possibility for our kids.

In the meantime, it is with gratitude and enthusiasm that we share with you all that you helped us to accomplish in 2011. Thank you for all that you do to help give foster kids a childhood AND a future.

With gratitude,

Janis Avery
Chief Executive Officer

Linda Hunter
Board President 2010-2012

*Our FY11 Board-approved budget planned for the use of a small portion of our strategic reserves for new programmatic investment, which made up the difference between FY11 expenses and FY11 revenue.

Community Events for Treehouse

No matter their age or background, these everyday superheroes have figured out how to put the "fun" into fundraising for foster kids. We receive the most incredible support from people willing to lend their passion, creativity, and time to create events that benefit kids in foster care. From lemonade stands and birthday parties, to corporate events and fashion shows, our community event hosts raised $233,876 for Treehouse in 2011!

Top community events in 2011

Sleep Country USA hosted the annual Pajama Bowl, which raised money for foster kids through a bowling competition — in pajamas!

Kroger's Charity Checkstand program chose Treehouse as their March charity, meaning that all Washington QFC customers had the opportunity to donate to Treehouse at checkout.

The King 5 Wonderland Holiday Carousel, organized by the Downtown Seattle Association, benefitted Treehouse as part of a fun and memorable holiday tradition in Westlake Park.

The Alpha Gamma Delta Iota Chapter hosted Mr. Greek, an annual competition within the UW Greek Community, which challenged participants to fundraise for kids in foster care. Their efforts raised more than $20,000 for Treehouse in 2011.

Bentley Pugh reprised his Happy Hour for Treehouse, a happy hour and silent auction event that raised more than $15,000 for kids in foster care.

The Washington State Bar Association hosted their annual auction and staff talent show and donated the proceeds to Treehouse.

The Eva Family hosted the Lollipop Tree Harvest, a magical event where a tree in their backyard "blooms" lollipops, and their friends and family are invited to enjoy the festivities and donate to Treehouse.

The World is Fun! ran the Third Annual Beard & Stache Fest, a month-long, city-wide celebration of facial hair in which people vote for their favorite participants by making a donation to Treehouse. The event raised $6,000 for Treehouse programs!

Our ImpactEducation Engagement

1,396 youth spent more time in school and accessed the education services they need to succeed because of our Educational Advocacy Program

Educational Advocates ensured that 81% of Treehouse youth who experienced a change in home placement either stayed in their school of origin, or were enrolled in a new school within seven days to minimize time out of school

105 youth came to the after-school Treehouse Learning Center for 4,114 hours of tutoring

86% of Treehouse seniors either graduated, completed a GED, or continued for another year toward their high school diploma or GED

87% of Treehouse 8th grade youth matriculated to high school — an important benchmark toward high school graduation

Our ImpactEnrichment Services

2,289 kids made 5,555 trips to the Wearhouse, our free store filled with clothes, shoes, toys, and school supplies

1,728 youth had their Little Wishes fulfilled and the chance to participate in important childhood activities, including sports and art classes

613 youth had larger-than-life experiences by going to a ball game, seeing live theatre, or experiencing a cultural event through donated tickets

812 youth stayed fully engaged in school, knowing that Treehouse was there to help cover school-related fees like an ASB card, yearbook, cap and gown for graduation, school pictures, and lab fees

452 youth had the experience of a lifetime at summer camp

5,405 kids received the holiday gift they had been wishing for through Holiday Magic

Kids know best what other kids might need or want, so we love working with our youngest Treehouse volunteers. These motivated young people are making a huge difference for foster kids!

Top Kids Helping Kids in 2011:

Connor Creswell — 'Cool Kicks for Treehouse' charity collected more than 700 pairs of shoes to help stock the shelves of the Wearhouse. As an athlete himself, Creswell knows the styles and brands of athletic shoes that appeal to our kids.

The Eva Family started the Lollipop Tree Harvest, where they invite their friends and classmates to come to their backyard on the day their tree "blooms" lollipops. They raised more than $5,000 in 2011!

The Backstage Dance Studio hosted a community dance exhibition in support of Treehouse.

Sacred Heart Parish Shoe Drive challenges each student to pick out a pair of new shoes that they like in their size and donate them to Treehouse — this year they collected 297 pairs.

Lindbergh High School DECA is a student-run club that put on a fashion show (and other events) and raised money for Treehouse through the ticket sales.

Tom Fox hosted his annual neighborhood holiday donation drive which collected new toys, clothes, and more than $1,700 for Treehouse.

The Issaquah High School Art Appreciation Association hosted a fundraiser for Treehouse.

Donation Drives

Some of the most compelling and successful fundraisers for Treehouse are conceived by supporters in the community who want to make a difference for kids in foster care. Donation drives hosted by both individuals and businesses help us stock the Wearhouse and raise funds to directly support Treehouse programs. In 2011, donation drive hosts raised an astounding $155,191, in addition to thousands of donated in-kind items (like jackets, clothing, shoes, books, and toys) through the combined efforts of 402 donation drives.

Our Volunteers

Treehouse volunteers play a critical role in our ability to help give foster kids a childhood and a future. They help with a range of important support functions, including greeting kids and caregivers at the front desk, tutoring foster youth one-on-one, sorting donations and stocking the Wearhouse, and supporting fundraising events. Treehouse is incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by a caring and generous community, willing to show up and work hard for foster kids.

In 2011, 2,052 people volunteered their time with Treehouse for a total of 20,537 hours. That's the equivalent of the work of more than 10 full time employees! The value of the time donated by Treehouse volunteers totals $165,323. Without the commitment and support of our volunteers, we literally could not do the work that we do.

While we appreciate every hour of service provided by our volunteers, we would like to extend a special thanks to those who committed 50 or more hours of their time to Treehouse in 2011: